The Red
by Tennyo no Ame
Summary: A glimpse into the darker sides of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru... and I bet you didn't know that Sesshoumaru even had a darker side!


**-Lyrics to 'The Red' by Chevelle-**

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_They say freak,  
  
When you're singled out,  
  
The red, well it filters through._  
  
Inuyasha padded through the small town, his feet already bruised by days worth of traveling. He couldn't stop and rest, however. It would be best if he just kept running until he was out of public view.  
  
The hanyou's ears were pricked by the voices of the surrounding villagers. His soft, white ears flattened against his head, trying to block out the harsh words. Not now... he pleaded silently.  
  
"The freak," one of them whispered, "That hanyou has some nerve coming into town."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. He cracked his knuckles. Every muscle in his body was fighting against him, wanting to lash out at the villager, pour his blood over the earth...  
  
_So lay down, the threat is real,  
  
When his sight goes red again.  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again._  
  
Sesshoumaru strode through the dark forest slowly, his steps steady and even. His chin was tilted up as he stared at the moon through the dense forest canopy. The demon's gold eyes glowed in the pale moonlight that crept through the trees. His servant, Jaken, squirmed next to him, hopping one foot to the other.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-Sama," he murmured, glancing behind his shoulder, "We're being followed."  
  
Sesshoumaru was well aware of the group of humans following him; and he had been for the past hour. How pathetic, he thought, did they really think they could fool a youkai?  
  
Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles loudly. He could hear the humans advancing on him; their weapons and armor clattered noisily.  
  
Without another moment to spare, Sesshoumaru whirled around, preparing to slice through the humans with his venomous claws. He threw one clawed hand through the chest of the leader of the group, his sharp nails slicing through the weak armor. The man's blood poured from the wound, soaking the earth as well as Sesshoumaru's hand. The youkai growled and pulled his arm out of the man's body. He screamed in pain, writhing at Sesshoumaru's feet. The demon snarled at him, baring his ivory fangs.  
  
He whipped his head in the direction of the other men. They ran towards Sesshoumaru, screaming in anger. But, their eyes betrayed them. They were absolutely terrified. (Ha ha, dumb asses)  
  
Sesshoumaru growled and ran at them. His eyes reflected the bloodstained ground, glowing red.  
  
_This change, he won't contain,  
  
Slip away, to clear your mind.  
  
When asked, who made it show,  
  
The truth, he gives in to most._  
  
A growl rose in Inuyasha's throat. What was happening to him? Where was the Tessaiga? Inuyasha's eyes searched the ground for his beloved sword. They fell on two pieces of steel- the remains of his once beautiful Tessaiga.  
  
The growl in Inuyasha's throat grew louder, until he could no longer contain it. He opened his mouth and sent out a harsh snarling sound as his eyes turned red. Two purple stripes revealed themselves on either side of his face. The bones in his hands cracked loudly as his claws lengthened. Inuyasha let out another wild cry as his fangs grew.  
  
What's happening to me...? The thought was fleeting, lingering for only a moment before his mind cleared completely. In that moment he let everything slip away; Kagome, the jewel, his sanity. In that brief occurrence, every emotion, every thought left him.  
  
Inuyasha ran at Goshinki, his claws raised, his fangs showing. He didn't even stop to think about the course of his actions before destroying the beast.  
  
_So lay down, the threat is real,  
  
When his sight goes red again._  
  
A strong, putrid scent reached Sesshoumaru's nose. He breathed deeply, inhaling every square inch of the strong odor.  
  
Blood. The smell was strange; a mix of human and demon blood. Inuyasha... Sesshoumaru's first thoughts went to his brother. Was he really this close?  
  
The youkai didn't give it another thought. He ran in the direction of the blood, gliding on the wind; slicing through the forest. He glanced at his left shoulder where his arm should have been. He growled softly, his sight going red.  
  
_So lay down, the threat is real,  
  
When his sight goes red again.  
  
So lay down, the threat is real,  
  
When his sight goes red again.  
_  
Inuyasha snarled and leapt back, away from the girl. Why was she getting so close? Didn't she see that he was dangerous; that he might kill her if she got any closer?  
  
Even if youkai blood was now in control, he was still the same hanyou. He still felt the same about Kagome; still didn't want to see her get hurt, let alone be the one to hurt her...  
  
But she persisted. Kagome took another step towards Inuyasha.  
  
"Inuyasha...?" she murmured, her brown eyes full of concern.  
  
"Stay away from me!" he growled in a raspy voice. Please Kagome...  
  
The hanyou's eyes glowed red. Please, Kagome, run away before I lose it, he begged silently. He didn't know how long he it would be until he completely lost control; until he tried to kill her...  
  
"Osuwari," the girl said softly.  
  
Inuyasha was pulled to the ground with a force ten times that of gravity. His face slammed into the ground, shaking him out of his youkai- blood-induced stupor. He raised him face, prepared to yell at his female companion. His fangs no longer protruded from his mouth; his eyes were no longer red.  
  
_Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red again,  
  
Seeing red...._  
  
Sesshoumaru stared at his younger brother. He didn't think his brother possessed enough power to defeat him, and thus he continued to provoke him. Of course, he didn't think that his little brother would have the power to take off his arm, and look how that turned out.  
  
Sesshoumaru growled softly. There was something different about Inuyasha; something new and terrifying; something that sent a wave of fear through Sesshoumaru's body. Inuyasha seemed to be... youkai. His energy had clearly increased, along with his anger.  
  
The hanyou sat in a crouch on the opposite side of the field, his long, silver bangs hanging over his eyes. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. There was something different about the way his half-breed brother looked, as well... The hanyou raised his head, revealing a menacing face. His fangs were bared. His eyes were murderous.  
  
Seeing red.  
  
_They say freak...  
  
When you're singled out.  
  
The red, it filters through..._

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Author's Notes: kind of a short fic, but oh well. I've had this idea for a while, and I'm very, very glad to have it out of my system... now I just need to get working on Dance With Me, and I'll be all set. but then I have to work on The Space Between Us... damnation.  
  
beta: Its about damn time... 


End file.
